CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Albany, the 12th-ranked field hockey team in the nation, proved that it's one of the best teams in the country over the weekend as the Great Danes went 2-0, including at win at eighth-ranked Stanford. Two Great Danes earned weekly awards as a result. Here are all the winners:
Player of the Week
Paula Heuser, Albany, So., Midfielder, Monchengladbach, Germany
- Tallied five points and contributed on all three of Albany's goals last week to lead her team to two wins.
- Scored both goals in the Great Danes' 2-0 win at Pacific Friday.
- Set up the lone score, a goal by Echo Bretz, in Albany's 1-0 victory at #8 Stanford on Sunday.
- The award is Heuser's second of the season.
Defensive Player of the Week
Maxi Primus, Albany, So., Goalkeeper, Berlin, Germany
- Pitcher two shutouts, her fourth and fifth of the season, to lead Albany to two wins last week.
- Stopped five shots, including four in the second half, of Albany's 2-0 win over Pacific on Friday.
- Made three saves against #8 Stanford to lead her team to a 1-0 win over the nation's eighth-ranked team Sunday.
Rookie of the Week
Lena Benwood, Vermont, Fr., Goalkeeper, North Vancouver, British Columbia
- Stopped 77 percent of the shots she saw last week.
- Made a career-high six saves in her first career start and nearly led Vermont to its first win before the Catamounts fell 2-1 in overtime to Harvard Sunday.
- Saved four shots and allowed just one goal while playing the second half of Saturday's loss to Hofstra.
Notes
- #12 Albany improved to 6-1 with wins at Pacific and #8 Stanford over the weekend.
- The win over the Cardinal was Albany's first-ever against a team ranked in the top 10.
- The Great Danes entered the national poll at #12 last week and have a good chance at achieving their highest ranking ever (#11 last season) when the new poll comes out Tuesday.
- Heuser leads the conference and ranks among national leaders with 22 points (9 G, 4 A).
- Eight of the conference's 13 games last week were decided by just one goal including three overtime contests.
Weekly Awards
Sept. 2 - Co-Players of the Week: Paula Heuser, Albany/Bianca Jones, UMass Lowell; Defensive Player of the Week: Maxi Primus, Albany; Rookie of the Week: Anna Bottino, Albany
Sept. 8 - Player of the Week: Ann Burgoyne, Fairfield; Defensive Player of the Week: Carlie Tarbell, New Hampshire; Rookie of the Week: Taylor Gaines, Vermont
Sept. 15 - Player of the Week: Paula Heuser, Albany; Defensive Player of the Week: Maxi Primus, Albany; Rookie of the Week: Lena Benwood, Vermont